June 20, 2023
Kau’ilani Robinson, Visit Seattle
(206) 251-8920 | [email protected]
Mary Grace Roske, Seattle Bank
(206) 281-1470 | [email protected]
Initiative Fosters Growth for BIPOC-Owned Businesses in Seattle Neighborhoods
SEATTLE – Visit Seattle and Seattle Bank proudly announce the selection of the next group of small businesses for the esteemed Community Partnership Program. This initiative aims to drive tourism and economic activity while providing support for BIPOC-owned restaurants, cafes, and retail shops in Seattle.
The program, now in its second year, is dedicated to enhancing access and awareness of businesses that contribute to the economic growth and cultural vibrancy of Seattle. Visit Seattle and Seattle Bank partnered with Intentionalist, an online guide to intentional spending, to identify the outstanding businesses included in this year’s program.
This year’s cohort is centered around 16 BIPOC-owned businesses situated in or near Seattle’s Capitol Hill and First Hill neighborhoods. By actively promoting these businesses, the program seeks to boost tourism and drive foot traffic, including individuals attending meetings and events at the recently opened Convention Center Summit building, which is expected to attract an influx of visitors to the area.
Tammy Canavan, President and CEO of Visit Seattle, expressed her enthusiasm, stating, “Seattle’s diverse neighborhoods and small businesses are the essence of our city, and we firmly believe that exploring and experiencing these establishments should be at the heart of every visitor’s journey. We are thrilled to sustain this initiative that reflects with the values of our community.”
The selected businesses will enjoy waived membership dues, courtesy of Seattle Bank, as they join Visit Seattle’s Partnership base. Each business will benefit from direct promotional support through Visit Seattle’s extensive marketing channels and editorial content, gaining access to leads and referrals generated by Visit Seattle to encourage leisure visitors, business travelers, and meeting attendees to patronize their establishments. Furthermore, the businesses will receive comprehensive marketing collateral and toolkits to leverage for promotional purposes. In addition, Seattle Bank will provide complimentary financial consulting services to each participating business.
“Through our partnership program with Visit Seattle, last year’s participating businesses saw positive impacts on their sales and foot traffic as we drove visibility and awareness to their storefronts in the International District and Central District,” said Mary Grace Roske, senior vice president of marketing and communications and community relations for Seattle Bank. “We’re excited to support a second cohort of local businesses this year. We know the difference it makes when people are intentional about where they shop and we look forward to encouraging both locals and visitors to explore the diverse cultural fabric of our neighborhoods.”
To celebrate this year’s cohort, Visit Seattle and Seattle Bank are sponsoring tabs through Intentionalist. Visitors will have the opportunity to enjoy a taste of each business by placing orders on a pre-paid tab until the $250 limit is reached. In honor of Pride Month, four tabs will be created at LGBTQIA+ owned businesses, starting with Post Pike Bar & Café on June 20, Café Argento on June 22, Biang Biang on June 27 and Footprint Wine Tap on June 29. Additional tab information will be shared across social channels for Visit Seattle, Seattle Bank, and Intentionalist, as well as on Intentionalist.com.
“Last year it was exciting to see how this collaboration with Visit Seattle and Seattle Bank made a measurable impact in terms of increased awareness of, foot traffic to, and sales at participating businesses,” said Intentionalist founder and CEO, Laura Clise. “Intentionalist is excited to continue working with partners who recognize that where we spend our money matters, and invest in supporting the diverse small businesses at the heart of our communities.”
Originally established to aid in the pandemic recovery of small businesses, Visit Seattle and Seattle Bank are thrilled to continue the Community Partnership Program into its second year. The inaugural year of the program focused on businesses within Seattle’s Chinatown-International District and Central District neighborhoods. Several businesses from the 2022 cohort experienced increased foot traffic and promotional support through their program participation and will continue to receive partnership benefits for the remainder of the year. The 2023 cohort features a vibrant mix of businesses spread throughout the captivating Capitol Hill and First Hill neighborhoods, as well as adjacent areas of the city.
The full list of recipients includes:
| Arte Noir | Black-owned gallery and retail space celebrating and spotlighting the dynamic creativity of the Black arts community. All products and items in the shop are made by Black creatives who receive 100% of net proceeds from their products and goods sold in the shop. |
| Biang Biang | Restaurant that infuses traditional hand noodles with lots of different flavors, proteins, and veggies. |
| Cafe Argento | Café that proudly stands for coffee, conversation, and community service. |
| Fogon | Family-owned Mexican cantina with homemade corn tortillas & tequila cocktails. |
| Footprint Wine Tap | Seattle’s first and only sustainable keg wine on-tap bar. Sourcing fine wines from the Pacific Northwest, they specialize in biodynamic and organic wines. |
| Jerk Shack | Restaurant that pays tribute to classic Caribbean food thoughtfully cooked with care and modern technique. Planning to open a second location soon. |
| Mitten Sweets | A pastry and coffee shop that specializes in French and Japanese pastries, both traditional and innovative. |
| Overcast Coffee Company | Overcast Coffee Company believes in the importance of community — that’s why they buy all of their coffee and ingredients from small, local businesses in Seattle. The coffee shop also donates to Recovery Cafe, which provides support, resources, and a community of care for those recovering from life’s hardships. |
| Paparepas Venezuelan Food | Authentic, Venezuelan food that can be enjoyed through the family business’s traveling food truck and restaurant locations. |
| Plum Chopped | The casual, walkup counter from the owner of Plum Bistro focuses on plant-based salads. |
| Post Pike Bar & Cafe | Neighborhood café featuring locally sourced bagel sandwiches and a cozy bar. |
| Retail Therapy | Clothing store and gallery featuring work from local and global designers and artists. |
| Rey Amargo | Authentic chocolate shop featuring all-natural and made with 100% Mexican Cacao. |
| Sankaku Onigiri Cafe & Bar | A cafe offering homestyle onigiri with filling dispersed throughout the rice ball — unlike traditional onigiri with the filling compacted in the center. |
| Sweet Alchemy | WSDA certified creamery, dedicated to producing small batch, organic, and locally sourced ice cream. |
| Tougo Coffee | Community focused cafe, featuring fine coffee, tea, wine, and food. |
Learn more about the partners through Visit Seattle’s BIPOC business directory and Intentionalist.
Header photo credit: Overcast Coffee Company
About Visit Seattle:
Visit Seattle has served as the official destination marketing organization (DMO) for Seattle and King County for more than 50 years. A 501(c)(6) organization, Visit Seattle enhances the economic prosperity of the region through global destination branding along with competitive programs and campaigns in leisure travel marketing, convention sales and overseas tourism development. Visit visitseattle.org.
About Seattle Bank:
Seattle Bank is a locally owned, digitally driven financial institution that provides personal, business and partner banking services and CD Valet. Our experienced team and open API, cloud-based core technology platform deliver a boutique bank experience for clients with interwoven personal and business financial needs. Our highly configurable and scalable tech stack also supports partner banking that enables companies to embed banking transactions into their customer online experience. Seattle Bank’s most recent innovation is CD Valet, a new national service to help savers find the most relevant, unbiased standard and promotional certificate of deposit (CD) rates from local and national financial institutions. Seattle Bank is a wholly owned subsidiary of Seattle Bancshares, Inc., a privately held bank holding company. Visit Seattle Bank for more information.
Book Your Trip
Partner Advertisements